FAO-Türkiye Partnership Programme
Two FAO-Türkiye Partnership Programmes aim to provide a substantive, financial and operational framework for active cooperation on food security, poverty alleviation and sustainable management of forests and tree resources.
The programmes benefit those countries assisted by FAO’s Subregional Office for Central Asia – Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Türkiye, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan – and beyond.
The overarching objective of the FAO–Turkey Partnership Programme is to provide assistance on food security, and rural poverty reduction, and sustainable forest management in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Türkiye, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, and other countries of mutual interest.
A trust fund financed by the Government of Türkiye – represented by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry – supports the programme. Established in 2006, the Programme to date has benefitted from trust fund contributions totaling USD 30 million from Turkey.
The Programme is demand-driven, responding to priority problems identified by national or subregional stakeholders and expressed in the form of official requests.
Work is focused in six broad areas – food security, agricultural and rural development, natural resources management including forestry and fisheries, agricultural policies, food safety, and animal and plant genetic resources.
Operational arrangements are designed to minimize bureaucracy and maximize efficiency and flexibility. A Steering Committee provides overall policy guidance and orientation, reviews and approves project proposals from countries and partners, and ensures overall supervision and monitoring of the Programme.
In 2014, Türkiye and FAO agreed to continue the Programme. For the ongoing second phase, a further trust fund contribution of USD 10 million was granted focusing on food security and nutrition, agricultural and rural development, protection and management of natural resources, agricultural policies, and food safety.
FAO–Turkey Forestry Programme
The Government of Türkiye has committed USD 10 million to the FAO–Turkey Forestry Partnership Programme. Established in 2014, the Programme supports countries in the subregion and beyond by sharing Türkiye and FAO’s technical expertise in forestry, natural resources, desertification, and sustainable development for practical application in the field.
Areas covered by the agreement include sustainable forest management, plantations and rehabilitation, forest products and ecosystem services, forests and the environment, people and forests, governance, assessments and monitoring, combating desertification and interdisciplinary issues.
